


The Only Fashionable Way to Ride

by wraisedbywolves



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Diplomacy, F/F, Gen, Horsemanship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 21:24:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8505952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wraisedbywolves/pseuds/wraisedbywolves
Summary: If wishes were horses, Skyhold would be even more crowded than it is already





	

It all began with the barded charger. **  
**

A gift from a famed armorers’ guild, the beast was a truly magnificent sight to behold. Fully 18 hands at the soldier, its hooves larger than some shields, the enormous chestnut stallion was full of fire and arrived fully outfitted in the finest barding Iohanna had ever seen. The plates shone like mirrors, and the banners and blankets had all been done in Highever Weave, the russet tone accented with gold stitching. The saddle itself was a work of art in and of itself.

The trouble was that while the horse was spectacular, equally suited to battlefield or parade grounds, the Inquisitor herself was clearly not the sort of warrior the armorer’s guild had anticipated. An archer, quick on her feet and with a knack for stealth, she avoided the creak and scrape of plate for herself and didn’t exactly complete the picture of the fearless knight they had been designing for. Even dressed with an armored coat designed to match the banners, she looked small and a bit uncomfortable on the horse’s back.

She still accepted the beautiful creature with every appropriate show of gratitude and rode it before the troops when she traveled from Haven to Orlais, but in private she complained that it was like sitting astride a drum of mead, and that no gait was smooth enough to offset that. After a week in the saddle, she insisted on a stop at a horse market outside Val Royeaux where she might pick a more suitable ‘day to day’ mount. She said she would save the fine charger for the battlefield, where he would truly shine and strike fear into the hearts of her foes, but those closest to her laughed and knew that she would likely ask Cullen to take charge of it.

Instead of a broad-backed warhorse, she picked out a dazzling white Imperial Warmblood. Spirited and quick, the tall mare was powerful without being bulky and carried herself high and light on her feet. Everyone agreed that it was a better match, and while the mare was less impressive as the charger she was quite elegant with the addition of the Inquisition’s red and gold banners.

The trouble was that of course, the Inquisition could do very little without attracting attention. They were new and dangerous, but fashionably so. When Iohanna Trevelyan was seen purchasing a horse, people took notice.

The next time word came from a potential ally in Fereldan, it came by way of a messenger who left a blood bay Fereldan Forder in the care of the stables. The next week, the Inquisition received the gift of a Taslin Strider along with an invitation to a nobleman’s upcoming ball. Within two months, nearly every letter Josephine received was accompanied by a horse, each beast more rare and extravagantly pedigreed than the last as the various seats of power tried outshine their rivals in a show of generosity. First Haven and then Skyhold began to resemble festival grounds, banners snapping the in the wind and dozens of exquisite horses swathed in bright colors parading about in the care of various grooms.

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean I’ve offended the Baron? I thought the whole talk went quite well!” Iohanna leaned back into the couch and rubbed her eyes.

“Oh, you were splendid during the talks themselves, darling,” said Josephine, placing a reassuring hand on her knee. “The trouble is that the Baron is a very… sensitive man. He perceives even small slights as grave offenses.”

“But what did I do?”

“Well, ah, the Baron greeted you at the gate, as you’ll remember,” Josephine explained hesitantly. “He says that… he saw that you were riding the Amaranthine charger. As you may recall, that was the horse that the Duke of Hunter’s Fell gifted to you. I can only suppose that he took offense at your choosing that mount over the courser he himself presented to the Inquisition.”

“But that’s absurd! Every one of these preening peacocks knows full well how many horses I’ve been given, and it’s their fault the whole thing is such a muddle!” cried Iohanna as she leaped up to pace in front of the hearth. “Surely I’m not expected to ride only the mounts each of them has given us when I go to meet someone!”

“I suspect that is what they want, actually. I could make up a schedule for you if you like, and give Master Dennet a copy as well.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Josie. What if I were going to a council with more than one of those self-important fools? Should I ride with one foot each on two saddles, to avoid offending anyone?”

Josephine chuckled, delicately hiding her smile behind her hand. “Well, it would certainly make an impressive sight!”

Iohanna turned to face Josephine with a rueful smile. “I suppose I’ll have to learn to shoot that way too, standing up across two horses. It would give me the high ground almost anywhere.”

“Perhaps you could have a new saddle designed for it. I’m sure it will be the only fashionable way to ride by next spring!”

**Author's Note:**

> Curious about Iohanna? Here's a quick summary image of what she's all about: http://wraisedbywolves.tumblr.com/image/129709959982


End file.
